Method and apparatus for mixing asbestos fibers and cement



vllvvv Il l ll-luvm 9 m oo H f f w r s 01 e 5T 0 d 8N 4I# LM a w ha m .na s u/. IW m .0u -I W/ m l l. F F fr, Smm d v mm1 lz Dm. .l Nu AM UG. y A t l sm@ b ,.Is BMM 0/ Aon l/ FF T i-|| A R n P. A 2.D u m H lm :T u.. 2E K 2M r. .h -1| M .n .m U a u M N m U U i Patented Mar. 4 22,- 1932 l,850,3

UNITED STATES PATENT .o1-FICE ARTHUR B. BAUNDEBS, Ol' NASHUA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIONOR TO JOHNS- I-ANVILLE CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK METHOD AND APPARATUS FOB MIXING ASBESTOS FIBEBS CEMENT 'Application' med September 25, 1929. Serial lo. 395,057. '2 L One object of this invention is to provide drawn from the container may be handled in a method and apparatus for mixing asbestos substantially the same manner as paper pulp. bers and hydraulic cement in the presence The waste scraps are disintegrated and of water and obtaining therefrom a homogepulverized dry and then placed in the con- 5 neous mixture of bers and cement partic e tainer, which is partially lled with water. 55 in the form of a wet mush or pulp which may Agitation of the water and bers is then set be formed into sheets or slabs of refractory up by drawing the liquid from the bottom material. l of the container and returning it thereto in Another object of this invention residesin fa stream which strikes down upon the surl the treatment of waste scrap so that it can be face of the mixture in the container at an o mixed with dry hydraulic cement inthe presangle, thereby setting up an eddy or whirlence of water to' form the wet mush or pulp pool movement in the container. The agitaabove mentioned. tion so created in the liquid mixture prevents A further object of this invention resides the asbestos bers from settling and forces ,in the treatment ofthe asbestos ber and dry them to spread through the water so that 6,-,

cement whereby the caking or balling of the they are in complete suspension.l

cement is prevented and the small particles The cement is dusted upon the surface of thereof are each coated with moisture. the mixture while the latter is being agi- Heretofore it has not been thought possible tated, as pointed out above. Thus the ceto form a wet mush or pulp by mixing asbesment articles. are substantially independent :o tos ber and cement and to prevent the ceof eacii other during their assage through ment from caking or balling so that the mixthe air', and when they touclh the surface of ture will be-homogeneous. For this reason the agitated mixture the particles are quickthe general practice at the present time vhas 1y and completely coated with water. Thus been to make a dry or pasty mixture of the it might be 4said that the cement particles asbestos ber and-cement, shape or mold the are rst in air suspension and then in water mixture in this condition, and add water suspension. The coating of water upon the thereto later. While s uch practices attain particles prevents them from caking or ballthe desired homogeneous mixture, they are ing and the continuance of the agitation $0 open to other objections which the use of the causes the suspended cement particles and 30 fluid wet mush or pulp avoids. suspended asbestos bers to be intermixed Moreover, diculty has been experienced homogeneously. in reusing the waste scrap from sheets or The accompanying drawings illustrate one slabs of refractory material due to the fact .form of apparatus wherein and whereby the 35 that the bers of the asbestos are coated withv above-described operation may be carried 85 cement grit or dust which interferes with the out. proper mixing of thebers with cement in ,In the drawings:

' the procedure followed prior to -my inven'- Fig. l is a vertical transverse section; and

tion. v Fig. 2 a front elevation of the disintegra- 4P .My invention in its broadest aspects is tors; so

'haracterized by the formation in a suitable Fig. 3 is a front elevation; and ontainer of amixture of asbestos ber and Fig. 4 a side elevation of the mixer. A ater, the mixture being kept ,ina constant The disintegrator as shown in Figs. 1 and tateof agitation so that the bers are in 2, comprises a' casing 9, .preferably rectangu- 5 v uspension in the water, and the successive lar in cross section having at its upper end a 95 addition thereto of dry cement in small quanhopper 10 and a feeding neck 11. Extendi tities while continuing the agitation. The ing across the .feeding neck 11 are suitably separate particles of cement .are completely spaced rods, which prevent the operator from covered with water and mixed with the abinserting a hand into the body of the casing. bestes ber so that the mash or pulp, when Within the booy of the casing 9 below the 100 sii-nasca PiAsnc neck 11 are mounted shafts 12 and 13, one beneath the other. The ends of the shafts project beyond opposite Asides of the casing 9 and are journaled in lbearings 14 suitably supported on brackets` xed to the walls of the casing. Secured on the portions of the shafts 12 and 13 within the casing are a plurality of longitudinally spaced rows of radially disposed steel pins 19. The rows of pins 19 are suitably spaced so that the pins pass between stationaryl pins 20 laced in rows on the in- 'ner wallV of the casing, see particularly Fig.

1. The shafts 12 and 13 are ra idly rotated in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 by means of an electric motor 16 supported on brackets 15 xed outside the casing. The shaft of the motor is directly connected with one end of the shaft 12. The other end of the shaft 12 is provided with a pulley 18 by which motion is transmitted to the shaft 13 through a belt 17 and a pulley 18 xed on the shaft 13.

The interaction of the pins 19 and 20 disintegrates and pulverizes the scraps of asbestos and cement fed into the casing 9 through the Ahopper 10 and neck 11. The disintegratedand-pulverized material drops to the bottom of the casin 9 from which it is removed, openings 21 ein provided at either side of the casing throu g which the material may be taken away. However, the casing 9 may be located directly over the mixer about to be described so that the disintegrated material will drop directly into it.

` The mixer in which the product of the rst machine is further treated comprises a tank 1 of conical form suitably supported with the small end downward, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Extending from the bottom of the tank 1 is a discharge outlet 7 which is controlled by a valve 2 of any desired form. .A ipe 3 connects the bottom part of the ta with the suction side of a centrifugal pump 4 whichis rotated by any suitable means (not shown). Connected to the blower side of the ump is a pipe 5 which enters the upper part lof) the tank, terminating in a nozzle 8 within the tank. The ipes 3 land 5 are preferably of correspon ing diameters. A pipe 6 entering lthe upper end of thetank supplies water thereto.

The operation of the mixer is as follows: The product of the rst machine is introduced into the tank 1, which is about threequarters lled with water, and the pump 4 set in motion. The asbestos and water are thoroughly mixed, both by the action of the pump 4 and also by the whirling motion which is created within the tank by reason of the direction at which the stream issuing from the nozzle 8 strikes the mixture in the tank. This movement of the mixture causes a further shredding of the asbestos bers previously disintegrated by the rst machine and the suspension of the bers in the water.

After the operation has continued for-a short time, coarse asbestos ber is introduced and the operation continued until all the asbestos has been thoroughly distributed through the water and has been completely shredded.4

EXHmMIr larly adapted for fa rication into sheets on a suitable type of cardboard machine.

The particular embodiment of the apparatusherein described and shown was selected for the purpose of illustration only and my invention is not limited to the articular features and functions thereof since otherrembodiments might be made to carry out the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as set, forth in the following claims. i

I claim:

1. Method of making pulp containing asbestos and cement characterized by the fol-4 lowin steps, disintegrating the waste scrap resulting fromthe manufacture of sheets and shingles of asbestos and cement, shredding the disintegrated material in water, adding coarse asbestos ber to the shredded material, feeding dry cement to the shredded asbestos, rapidly agitating the mass so that'the mixture is entirely homogeneous, and drawing off the mixture in the form of a wet mash or pulp.

.2. Method of making pulp containin -as' bestos bers and cement characterize by feeding asbestos bers into a tank containing water withdrawing a portion of the mixture of bers and water from the tank and retaining it thereto in a stream which strikes downwardly upon the surface of 4the mass in the tank as such an angle that the mass is given a whirling motion and the bers therein are shredded.

3. The method of making pul containing asbestos and cement characterize by forming in a suitable container a mixture of asbestos bers and water, the bers being in complete suspension in the water, agitating such mixture, and dusting dry cement upon the surface of the mixture while continuing such agitation, the cement (particles thus being rst in air suspension an then in water suspension.

asbestos and cement characterize by forming in a suitable container a mixture of asbestos bers and water, the bers being in complete suspension in the water, agitating such mixture,-and dusting dry cementuponthe surface of the mixture while continuing such agitation, whereby the cement particles are coated with water and intermixed homogeneously with the asbestos fibers.

y `12o .4. The method of making-pul containing 5. The method of making pulp containing 'asbestos and cement characterized by forming in a suitable container a mixture of asbestos fibers and water, the fibers being in sus- 5 pension in the water, dusting particles of dry cement in air suspension upon the surface of the mixture and agitating the cement and mixture whereby the cement particles are suspended in the water. l 6. Mixer for treating asbestos and cement,

comprising a tank in the shape of a cone having its tapered end downwards, the lower part of the tank communicating, by a pipe, with a pump acting to draw oi the material and to eject the same downwardly at an angle against the upper surface of the material, and in a direction toward the side of the tank opposite to the side communicating with the pump, thereby creating a whirling motion of the material.

. 7 A mixer as claimed in claim 6 characterized by thefact that the pump is of the centrifugal type, so' that the -material is subjected to a beating action.

8. A mixer comprising a cone-shaped tank having its tapered end downwards, a cenf' trifugal pump, apipe protruding laterally near the bottom of the tank and connected .with the pump, a second pipe connecting the 3 pump with the upper part of the tank whereby liquid in the tank is drawn by the pump from the bottom and returned to the top of the tank, the second pipe terminating in a 'nozzle by which the returned liquid is ejected downwardly at an angle against the upper surface ofthe liquid in the tank, said nozzle introducing the liquid into the tank to-l ward the side opposite the side the first mentioned pipe discharges. Y 40 Signed by me at Nashua, N. H., this 23 day of September, 1929.

ARTHUR B. SAUNDERS'. 

